A maximum of seven stages occur:
- egg
- six-legged prelarva (=deutovum, prolarva)
- larva (= tritovum)
- eight-legged protonymph
- deutonymph (= deuteronymph)
- tritonymph
- adult (male and female)
Leg number can be reduced. Most notably, gall mites (Prostigmata: Eriophyoidea) have only legs I and II (Figure).